Window blinds and shades satisfy both a functional and a decorative purpose. Some of the most popular blind and shade designs in use have their origins in antiquity. The Romans presumably had roman shades and venetian blinds were known as “Persian blinds” to the Venetians.
Horizontal and vertical slatted shutters and blinds are tiltable to adjust the view and the amount and quality of light transmitted. Additionally, venetian blinds, roman blinds, and others are readily raised and lowered. These variable states provide a variety of degrees of visibility through architectural openings, a varying degree of light transmission, and provide a variable esthetic effect.
The states a blind may assume and the corresponding light allowance regions and overall visual effect have been largely unchanged for many of years. What is needed are devices and methods for producing blind systems with a wider variety of visual states.